PREVIEW : Live by the Sword: Tactics (PC)
The realm of TRPGs has certain inconsistencies. On the one hand, it is a genre that can be traced back to the mechanically and narratively sophisticated game Final Fantasy Tactics. Because of this, some game developers have tried to create games that are much more sophisticated than that one. On the other hand, because of their simple interfaces, these games are well suited for the casual market and for use on mobile devices, which encourages other developers to create more user-friendly games.
A basic game need not be a poor game. Vanaris Tactics, which was developed with newbies in mind, is something I’ve previously looked at. Chroma Squad, Behold Studios’ ode to the Power Rangers that accomplishes a lot with a little, might serve as a better illustration.
Live by the Sword: Tactics is one of those straightforward games we have today. Despite being straightforward, it contains a few intriguing and underutilised gameplay elements that I wish were more common in games.
Origin: Steam.
Live by the Sword: Tactics’ main campaign centres on two brothers who are sent on a quest to purge the neighbourhood woods of bandits. It appears that the perceived vulnerability of the monarchy is what has led to banditry being a concern. The kingdom has achieved a Pyrrhic triumph over an aggressive neighbour, and because the old king has passed away, a youngster is now in command of the country. But the thieves’ motivations go beyond opportunism, and the brothers eventually become embroiled in a sinister plot.
It has a typical TRPG twist and a typical TRPG narrative. However, as I’ve already stated, the plot isn’t the main reason anyone plays these games.
Anyone who has played a TRPG previously is likely to be familiar with the core gameplay of Live by the Sword: Tactics. Turn-based gameplay with cooldown durations for skills instead of an MP system. However, two variations materially alter how the game is played.
First off, there is no levelling system or experience system for the characters. You did read that correctly. I’ve been thinking about the idea of a role-playing game (RPG) without levels for a while, and Live by the Sword: I was able to put it to the test in the field through tactics. It carries benefits and drawbacks alike.
A group of seven characters, of whom five may be used at any one battle, will eventually be assembled by the player. The lack of a levelling system, in my opinion, is done so that the player can freely select the characters who, rather than those with the greatest levels, match the circumstance the best. One of the party’s most potent attacking characters, for instance, is the archer—but only when she has the upper hand. Her narrow range makes her vulnerable without that. In locations with level terrain, I can therefore substitute a less frequently utilised melee fighter for the archer, even if I may employ the archer most of the time.
I have seen numerous TRPGs, from well-known titles to small independents, attempt to implement comparable ideas, but all failed because they retained traditional experience/level systems. Playing the game as designed requires hours of a tedious slog because the speciality characters typically have lower levels due to spending so much time on the back bench. Live by the Sword: Tactics elegantly overcomes that issue by forgoing a levelling system.
The other wrinkle is that the player can freely respec any character between levels, and I am aware that the developers want you to switch characters because of this. Each character has a natural talent as well as six additional skills, four of which can be used in battle at once.
In most encounters, you’ll employ the same ones, but you’ll always have the choice to swap skills in and out to benefit from character combinations or to take down a formidable foe. The character switching and this together provide us with the most versatility.
However, there are drawbacks to this style of design. Since the characters are static, there isn’t much to look forward to when the final party member is unlocked (which occurs just about a third of the way through the campaign). The campaign’s few adversaries kinds are another factor that contributes to the final stages’ weariness. It probably would have helped if the party levelled up together, like Chroma Squad and a very small number of other TRPGs did.
Although Live by the Sword: Tactics’ primary campaign is brief (approximately 4-5 hours), unlike most TRPGs, it is not the focus of the whole gameplay. Instead, it is used as a practise and to access functionality in other modes.
An extra-level builder is planned, but it wasn’t accessible at the time of this review. There are three additional single-player modes. The first quick-play option, called Skirmish, is really simple and hardly worth mentioning. Adventure and Tactician are the most intriguing the other two.
The difficulty mode for Live by the Sword: Tactics is called tactician mode. It includes several unique maps, each of which has a prerequisite that must be satisfied. The majority are time assault modes where the player must beat an opponent party in the fewest number of turns possible, although others have peculiar restrictions. You might need to defend a VIP or take down a single adversary with incredibly high stats. After completing a level, more challenging variations become available, forcing the party to battle uphill.
The odd option is Adventure, a randomised test that introduces a few fresh elements. The player is faced with fighting through a series of arbitrary encounters after being given access to three random characters (including members of the player’s typical campaign party and certain enemy-only classes), each with random skills.
A few roguelike aspects can be found in the adventure mode. Battle victories result in treasure that can be redeemed for new party members, new skills, or power-up purchases. A shrewd player won’t, however, use all of that cash at once. Characters don’t heal completely between battles, and since death is irreversible, it makes sense to save aside some money to restore HP or replace lost party members.
The game’s Adventure mode is intended to be its primary focus, and multiple upgrades are scheduled for the months after the official release. A ranked multiplayer option and several new characters are also included in those updates.
Similar to Vanaris Tactics, Live by the Sword: Tactics is a game that will probably be more enjoyable for beginners or intermediate TRPG players than for seasoned veterans. Although its original principles are strange, Live by the Sword: Tactics’ auxiliary modes give it a little more substance than others, and they merit more exploration. More games that adhere to this basic design ethos are something I would want to see.
REVIEW : Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PC)
